Puppy
by 221b-whovian
Summary: Sorcerer of the North was not the first time Will happened upon a stray dog.


**Puppy**

**Summary: Sorcerer of the North wasn't the first time Will happened upon a stray dog. This takes place somewhere in the years between 4 and 5.**

Chapter One- Halt POV

I was sipping coffee and looking over a report from Crowley when I heard the door hinges squeak, followed by some not-so-sneaky steps.

I rolled my eyes towards the heavens, when was that boy ever going to learn that he simply couldn't get past me unnoticed? I hopped out of my seat, and went to see what Will was up to.

Sure enough, when I reached his door, I heard him trying to hide something as he realized I was approaching. I knocked on the door, then went in.

My apprentice sat leisurely on his bed, and acted surprised as I entered. "Oh, hey Halt!"

I gave him an icy stare, "Will, what are you hiding?"

"Psh! What? What are you talking about?" he replied.

I sighed, "You are home from the Harvest Festival about five hours before I said you had to be. I heard you trying to be sneaky, and I heard you stumbling around in here like a wounded walrus when you heard me coming over. What are you hiding?"

Will knew he was cornered, his shoulders drooped and he slowly got off his bed and lifted up the pillow he had been leaning against.

"Halt, I know you won't want to keep him, but he was starving on the road! I couldn't just leave him! He would have died! Him and his siblings got dumped, and all of his brothers and sisters were already gone. He needs our help, Halt, and he's cute!"

My eyebrows went up as I listened to him explain the reason that there was a emaciated, runty puppy shivering in his arms. They almost disappeared into my hairline when he said that the rat was cute. All of it's fur was clumped together, you couldn't even see the real color through the thick mud and dirt. His eyes were completely obscured by hair, and he was so thin you could see his ribs.

I looked in dismay at the poor thing, I had a soft spot for dogs, though apparently Will wasn't aware of that.

"Go get him cleaned up, I'll heat up some food for him. That dog is not staying another minute in my house with that much mud attached to him." I said, gesturing towards the water barrel.

Will's eyes lit up, and he sprinted out to grab some soap and a towel, the little dog under his arm. I retrieved some chicken broth and started heating it up on the fire. Soon it was warm enough, and I went to go see how the clean-up effort was going. Will and the puppy were covered in suds, and Will was just getting to toweling the dog off when I walked in on them.

We brought the dog in and set him down next to the bowl. Now that he was clean, he actually was rather cute. He was one of the northern breeds, with thick, white and grey fur. He weakly wagged his tail as he lapped up his meal.

I turned to my apprentice, "What, exactly, were you planning on doing with him? Hide him in the stable, perhaps, or was under your pillow going to be his permanent abode?"

Will had the decency to be a little embarrassed, "Uh, I don't know, I just really wanted to keep him. We are keeping him aren't we?" he asked anxiously, his eyes pleading with me.

We were keeping him, but Will didn't need to know that quite yet. "Well, I don't know. You already don't have enough time for your chores, how are you going to get them done when you have a dog to take care of? He's not going to stay this small for long, you know, and he'll be a real nuisance in a few months."

Will's expression became desolate, "Please! Please, Halt! I'll do whatever you want! Just… please." I almost felt sorry for him, he sounded so desperate.

"You'll do anything?" I asked, smiling inwardly.

"You better believe it!"

I scratched my chin, "Well, then, why don't you go get some tape, put it over your mouth and leave it there for, oh… let's say a month?"

His eyes got huge, and his jaw dropped, "You're not serious?" he asked warily.

"I am perfectly and absolutely serious, now get a move on before I chuck this dog out on the street."

He just stood there, evaluating his options. I decided to let him off the hook, "Will, I'm kidding. We can keep the dog, and you don't have to shut up for the next month. Though, I admit, it would be nice if you would do it anyway."

Will relaxed, obviously relieved. He scooped up his newfound friend and beamed. "Thank you, Halt! You're the best!"

He rushed into his room, talking brightly with the lucky little puppy.

**Review, please!**

**P.S. Do Rangers have tape? I'm not sure, but I'm sure they have some kind of adhesive that Halt uses to make Will shut up…**

**P.P.S. What is your guys' opinion on Gilan's hair color? My sister and I have been arguing about it for months. I'm sure he's blond, she's sure he's a brunette, but neither of us can find evidence in the books to support our answers. So, what do you think? And if you can find proof in the books, please tell me where it is!**


End file.
